Plastic box magazine



p 20, 1966 .1. A. BADALI 3,273,275

PLASTIC BOX MAGAZINE Filed Dec. 1, 1964 INVENTOR. "a JOSEPH A. BADAL/ ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,273,275 PLASTIC BOX MAGAZINE Joseph A. Badali, Branford, Conn., assignor to Olin Mathieson Chemical Corporation, a corporation of Virginia Filed Dec. 1, 1964, Ser. No. 415,034 3 Claims. (CI. 42-50) This invention relates to a box magazine for firearms.

This invention more particularly relates to a plastic box magazine which can be readily molded on conventional equipment, is easy to assemble and can be manufactored at low cost.

Box magazines for rim fire and centerfire firearms have conventionally been made of metal in a variety of shapes and mechanical designs. These magazines are comprised of a number of piece parts all of which require several manufacturing and assembly operations.

In making a conventional metal box magazine, the various .piece parts have to be blanked, formed in several successive operations, spot welded, heat treated, bound together with tabs and the like and assembled.

The resultant structures are inaccurate, easily deformed Outbf-shape, and expensive to make.

In accordance with this invention, I propose to make a plastic box magazine in which all the parts can be formed in a single one shot molding operation with the exception of a coil spring. The resultant structure can be readily assembled. The parts are very accurate and can be readily colored for decorative purposes. The magazine of this invention can withstand considerable abuse without deforming because of the natural resilience of the plastic material, and the shape can be readily varied with little expense for styling purposes.

In addition to the advantages listed above, the magazine of this invention can be produced at a substantial cost saving over conventional metal magazines.

This invention will now be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side view of the magazine of this invention partially assembled.

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of the magazine of this invention.

FIGURE 3 is a section-a1 side view of the magazine of this invention taken along the line 3-3 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is an end view of the magazine of this invention.

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view of the magazine of this invention taken along the line 55 of FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of the magazine follower.

Referring now to the drawings, the magazine of this invention comprises a generally rectangular body 1 having a hollow interior 2 open at both ends 3 and 4. The interior 2 of the magazine is formed to accommodate and guide a magazine follower 5 which moves longitudinally in the magazine. Magazine follower 5 includes an inclined plane surface 6 adapted to engage and urge cartridges upwardly toward a pair of feed lips 7 and 8 formed at end 3 of the body.

Guide lugs 9 and 10 are formed integral with follower 5 and ride in grooves 11 and 12 respectively, formed in ICC body 1 to guide the movement of follower 5. Grooves 11 and 12 also accommodate magazine spring 14 which urges the follower 5 toward end 3.

Base 13 closes end 4 of magazine 1. Base 13 includes a bottom wall 15, side walls 17 and 18 and an end wall 19.

Side walls 17 and 18 are provided with longitudinal grooves 20 and 21 respectively which receive rails 22 and 23 formed on body 1 when the base is assembled to body 1.

Vertical grooves 24 and 25 formed in base 13 interlock with ridges 26 and 27 respectively formed on body 1 to securely interlock base 13 and body 1 in final assembled condition. The shoulder 29 formed by the upper surface of base 13 limits the extent to which the magazine is inserted in the magazine receiving portion of a firearm.

Projections 30 and 31 formed on body 1 cooperate with means in the magazine receiving portion of a firearm to locate and guide the magazine into position, and provide abutment surfaces 32 and 33 to lock the magazine inafirearm.

The body 1, base 13 and follower 5 are preferably injection molded from a plastic material in a single mold or in separate molds.

To assemble the magazine, follower 5 is inserted into body 1 as shown in FIGURE 1. A magazine spring 14 is then inserted and guided by grooves 11 and 12 in body 1. The base 13 is assembled to the body by aligning grooves 20 and 21 on base 13 with rails 22 and 23 on body 1 and sliding the base from the solid line position of FIGURE 2 to the dotted line position. At the end of the assemblying stroke, vertical grooves 24 and 25 on the base and vertical ridges 26 and 27 on the body interlock to complete the simple assembly.

If necessary, the magazine can also be disassembled by reversing the procedure outlined above.

Although this invention has been described in detail with reference to a preferred embodiment illustrated in the drawings; various modifications and design changes are contemplated which are within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A plastic box magazine including a generally rectangular hollow body open at both ends, feed lips formed integral with one end of said body, an end cap closing the other end of said body, said end cap being slidably received on said other end, means on said end cap and said body to interlock said end cap and body, said means to interlock including a pair of laterally spaced longitudinal guide rails and corresponding longitudinal grooves in said body and said cap which are slid-ably engageable, at least one interlocking vertical ridge and groove on said body and end cap engageable when said end cap and body are in assembled condition, a follower slidably mounted in said body, spring means in said body normally urging said follower toward said feed lips, and cooperating guide means in said body and on said follower guiding the movement of said follower in said body.

2. The magazine of claim 1 in which said guide means includes a pair of lateral guide lugs formed on said follower and cooperating longitudinal grooves formed in said body.

3. A plastic box magazine including a rectangular body open at both ends, feed lips formed integral with one end of said body, an end cap slidably mounted on the other end of said body closing said other end, side Walls on said end cap surrounding a portion of said body and, providing an abutment for positioning said magazine in a firearm, a follower slidably mounted in said body having laterally projecting lugs extending therefrom, and spring means normally urging said follower toward said one end, said body having a pair of grooves formed therein cooperating with said lugs to guide said follower for vertical movement in said body.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain.

BENJAMIN A. BORCHELT, Primary Examiner. 

1. A PLASTIC BOX MAGAZINE INCLUDING A GENERALLY RECTANGULAR HOLLOW BODY OPEN AT BOTH ENDS, FEED LIPS FORMED INTEGRAL WITH ONE END OF SAID BODY, AN END CAP CLOSING THE OTHER END OF SAID BODY, SAID END CAP BEING SLIDABLY RECEIVED ON SAID OTHER END, MEANS ON SAID END CAP AND SAID BODY TO INTERLOCK SAID END CAP AND BODY, SAID MEANS TO INTERLOCK INCLUDING A PAIR OF LATERALLY SPACED LONGITUDINALLY GUIDE RAILS AND CORRESPONDING LONGITUDINAL GROOVES IN SAID BODY AND SAID CAP WHICH ARE SLIDABLY ENGAGEABLE, AT LEAST ONE INTERLOCKING VERTICAL RIDGE AND GROOVE ON SAID BODY AND END CAP ENGAGEABLE WHEN SAID END CAP AND BODY ARE IN ASSEMBLED CONDITION, A FOLLOWER SLIDABLY MOUNTED IN SAID BODY, SPRING MEANS IN SAID BODY NORMALLY URGING SAID FOLLOWER TOWARD SAID FEED LIPS, AND COOPERATING GUIDE MEANS IN SAID BODY AND ON SAID FOLLOWER GUIDING THE MOVEMENT OF SAID FOLLOWER IN SAID BODY. 